THE Volkswagen Passat R-Line 2.0 TSI 204ps DSGhas won this year's overall trophy and been crowned Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2026.

The Passat also claimed victory in the Family Towcars and Caravan weight 1300kg-1500kg categories.

It was a hugely successful year for Volkswagen as it also topped the podium in the Large Family Towcar category with its Multivan Style 2.0 TSI 204ps.

The Passat has been a common sight on Britain's roads for 50 years - in many ways it's the definitive, practical family car, and the latest ninth-generation version is the best of the lot. It's so good that the judging panel for the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year Awards 2026 overwhelmingly voted it as the overall winner.

The Passat impressed the judges with its superb towing capabilities, power, quality interior, refined driving experience and huge storage space in the boot.

Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year, the leisure vehicle industry's original and longest-standing towcar testing awards, saw 37 high-quality entrants put through their paces at the world-class UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground testing facility in Bedfordshire.

Rather than being listed by price, the vehicles were split into categories by caravan weight - this makes it easier for potential buyers to work out which cars can tow their own caravans. There were also special award categories for Pick-Up Towcars, Family Towcars, Large Family Towcars, Electric Towcars, Hybrid Towcars and Luxury Towcars.

As the industry evolves, the range of vehicles in the competition has expanded, with entries spanning a broad spectrum from affordable options to premium, high-end towcars. Fifteen of the entrants were pure-electric and there was also a host of hybrids.

Skoda Enyaq SportLine 85x 82kWh 210 kW 4x4 The Enyaq offers a fantastically refined and comfortable way to travel. It's remarkably stable when towing and feels very natural and balanced. The interior is well made and superbly practical, and it has a long solo driving range - up to 359 miles on the larger battery 85 models. Models like this 85x get dual-motors, providing four-wheel drive, which give extra traction.

Volkswagen Passat R-Line 2.0 TSI 204ps DSG The Passat's ability to positively respond to sudden lane changes and unexpected undulations in the road gave the judges the confidence to push it a little harder than most cars. The 2.0 TSI petrol engine is lively and responsive, delivering plenty of power as and when required, and the car easily kept the caravan in check. Factor in a huge 690-litre boot, quality interior and impressive on-road refinement, it's easy to see why it's such an outstanding winner.

Nissan ARIYA e-4ORCE EVOLVE 87 kWh A previous award winner, the Nissan Ariya returned to Towcar and struck gold once again. Its high stability levels placed it above the pack with judges loving how it kept its caravan in check at both high speeds and during a variety of lower speed manoeuvres. High marks were also given for the smooth power delivery from the twin electric motors, along with sharp steering, a supple ride, and a practical, quality interior.

Genesis GV60 Sport Plus Judges loved the potent 428bhp (482bhp when the Boost button is pressed) power, but of more importance was its high refinement levels and how it kept its caravan in check in all of the tests. Good levels of ride comfort, a very plush interior and simple-to-use tech were all positives. All in all, a wonderful, capable and stylish towcar.

BMW X3 M50 The trailblazing premium mid-sized SUV is back for a fourth generation, and, just like its predecessors, the current X3 is an impressive towcar. It's packed with intuitive technology and there's a really modern feel inside. The X3 has a quality feel, especially when towing - it's stable, secure and delivers immense confidence when braking. Here, in spicy M50 guise, performance was outstanding from the 3.0-litre, straight-six petrol engine.

Porsche Macan Electric Previous overall winner, Porsche, entered two models this year, including its baby electric SUV. The Macan Electric has a claimed solo range of around 400 miles, and is everything you expect from a Porsche SUV but it's powered by electricity rather than petrol. In fact, it's only the sheer silence from the electric motor that reveals that there's no petrol engine, the power delivery and the way the car responds feels just like the petrol version. Judges remarked that the car's stopping power when towing was "class leading", and the Macan "felt like its price was justified in it delivers comfort, build quality and handling".

BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport The updated BMW iX xDrive60 features increased power, increased range and design tweaks. It provides smooth, confident acceleration, even with a heavy caravan in tow. The adaptive air suspension kept everything stable, composed and level when hitched, while regenerative braking helped control descents. Overall, the iX combines EV refinement with serious muscle.

Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid AWD Ultra The XC90 handles superbly with a caravan whilst remaining comfortable and sure-footed. The interior is absolutely beautiful and feels like somewhere that you could enjoy a long distance cruise. New for 2025 are tweaked looks and better interior tech, while the efficient PHEV powertrain is as smooth as ever.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Multivan Style 2.0 TSI 204ps For the fourth consecutive year, the Multivan has claimed the Large Family Towcar award. The Multivan really is flexible, with two different body lengths and various seating configurations to choose from. The 2.0-litre petrol engine is smooth and the comfortable ride makes it ideal for family towing. For sheer space inside, usability and refinement, few can better the Multivan.

Isuzu D-Max STEEL Edition The D-Max is impressive with its rugged spirit and adaptability, it gets on with the job with minimal fuss. It keeps its caravan in remarkable check and is impressively torquey for a 1.9-litre unit.

Bentley Bentayga EWB Mulliner The Extended Wheel Base Mulliner totally pampers passengers. It has great rear passenger space, twin rear seats and extravagant features such as a fridge and champagne flutes - no wonder it won the Luxury car category! It provided a smooth, controlled ride while towing. If money is no object, this is the ultimate towcar.

Nick Lomas, director general of the Caravan and Motorhome Club, said: "The pace of technological advancement in motoring has been remarkable and the strong presence of electric vehicles in this year's competition highlights just how far the industry has come. We warmly congratulate all the deserving winners of the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2026 Awards. Our expert judging panel delivered thorough, unbiased evaluations to support anyone looking to purchase a towcar, whether new or pre-owned, with trusted, professional insight."

Each car was put through its paces at the UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground near Bedford, which provides a variety of testing driving environments. Manufacturers were invited to submit for testing any vehicle that was capable of towing a trailer over 750kg and on sale on October 1, 2025.

The Club's Scrutiny team thoroughly checked each vehicle before handing it over to the ‘caravanability' and driving judges.

Caravanability judges tested whether a car's boot could swallow the bulky accessories normally needed on a caravan trip. They also measured the towball height, both solo and hitched up, and checked the towing information provided in the manufacturer's handbook.

The cars were then hitched up to caravans ballasted to 85 per cent of their kerbweight, or towing limit if lower. Using specialised apparatus the technical judges then measured the cars' acceleration and braking capabilities. The car/caravan combinations were then passed over to the driving judges who set off around the UTAC Millbrook circuit. The cars were tested at speeds of up to 55mph on the ‘Alpine route', which featured various gradients and culminated in a 17 per cent hill start and 26 per cent downhill brake test. The ability to join fast traffic from a standstill was also assessed.

Judges then took the vehicles to the high-speed bowl to further assess their capabilities at speeds in excess of UK legal limits. In the safety of a controlled environment, the judges could induce some instability at 60mph to see how the cars reacted. Reversing tests and comfort evaluations were also conducted, ensuring the vehicles performed not only on technical merit but also in real-world driving conditions. Issues of driver and passenger comfort and visibility were also assessed.

During the exhaustive four-day test, the vehicles are taken on several hundred circuits of the Millbrook Proving Ground, consisting of many laps of the high-speed circular track and demanding alpine hill route.